Tour a Queens, New York, Home Filled With Eccentric, Believe-It-Or-Not Decor

Ali Arakawa, owner of vintage decor Etsy shop, Fare Well Trading, is a freelance production display artist who styles, sources and zhooshes sets. When she’s not working with interesting props, she’s busy adding to her own curated collection of one-of-a-kind antiques and vintage home decor. A stroll through Ali’s row house is just as intriguing as the person who designed it, with a charming backstory all of its own.

New York City is home to many beautiful cemeteries that are designated as historical landmarks. They are rich with some of the city's lesser-known history. “When I first saw the house, one of the things that made me fall in love with it was how open it is," Ali explained. “But the beautiful, tree-filled view of the cemetery is one of my favorite things about the house. A lot of people don’t think it’s great, but I love it."

It’s not every day a home comes along that’s move-in ready and packed with original charm — charm that you actually want to keep, that is. “The house is over 100-years-old, so things not being too updated and modern works for me," Ali says. “Like this wallpaper: It's original to the house, and I’m just so happy that the old homeowners left it up because I feel like it was destined to be my wallpaper.”

From life-size ceramic animals to faded family relics, Ali’s design style is more instinctive than deliberate. “It’s really hard to describe my style,” Ali says. “My collection is from the late 1800s to present, and certain things just speak to me. I just buy whatever I like and figure it out later. That’s the best part about vintage to me — it’s fun and I don’t take it too seriously.”